Small Milling Machine Angel Eyes

[editor@glue-it.com]

I bought a 100mm diameter Angel Eye led array - essentially a circular LED array that is normally for aftermarket use around car headlights, normally always on as daylight running lights.



I then created a simple MDF housing for the light that bolts to the spindle on the same bracket as the magnetic strip for the spindle measurement on a Sieg SX2.7 - more details: Sieg SX2.7 Angel Eyes



This housing shields your eyes from the side and bounces the light back onto the spindle.



With the 100mm diameter array it creates a uniform light on the end of any milling bit that is just brilliant. There is no flickering that I have observed to date and it is really cheap. I would like to use this MDF holder as a prototype for an aluminium holder and shade as I could make it thin and very light.

[bruce.desertrat]

Be nice for a drill press, too. Good for these old eyes to be able to hit that center punch right the first time :-)

[tonyfoale]

I got a few of these for the mill and drill presses but after a test I have not bothered to fit them. I found the light output to be way to low to be worth the bother.
Maybe mine are weaker, but whatever, I was very disappointed.

[editor@glue-it.com]

I got a few of these for the mill and drill presses but after a test I have not bothered to fit them. I found the light output to be way to low to be worth the bother.
Maybe mine are weaker, but whatever, I was very disappointed.

The one I'm using is approximately 4W and this is quite high for LED lights. It's bright enough that you cannot look at it directly. The test is the difference it makes to the ability to align parts on the table and it really is a transformation.

[marksbug]

I got a few of these for the mill and drill presses but after a test I have not bothered to fit them. I found the light output to be way to low to be worth the bother.
Maybe mine are weaker, but whatever, I was very disappointed.

try more voltage!!!

[meyer77]

I just got a set, one by mistake. Both came with two light rings (if that is the proper term?) The 100 mm came with a self adhesive strip on the back side and was a perfect fit on the quill of my mill drill. They were very inexpensive (less than $5.00 each for two). They are quite bright, I need to make a power switch to cut power when not in use. I have it hooked up to a 12v wall wart right now that I plug into a power strip. I want to cut power to the wall wart so it in not on all of the time.

[DIYSwede]

There is no flickering that I have observed to date and it is really cheap.

I've found quite a few mains-connected cheap LED lights that flicker, which I find annoying (to say the least).
The built-in LED drivers can have rectifiers/ SMPS's with just about any output frequency,
so the 12 VDC 4W auto ring light above will be flicker-free IF (and only if) the supply delivers "clean" enough DC.
A car LED would have a max design voltage of 14.5 VDC,
and any PWM variable driver would provide a suitable dimmer down to the LED's turn-on voltage.
Nice bonus feature: LED's color spectrum is unaltered when dimming, in contrast to that of incandescent lights.

1) To check I usually take a short high-speed (@ 240 fps) cellphone video with the lamp in question being the only light on in the room.
On slo-mo playback any eventual flicker immediately shows.

2) One simple and cheap remedy is to solder an electrolytic capacitor in parallel to the LED source,
as big as you can fit and with ample voltage headroom, then repeat 1) to check.

Works great if you're annoyed with shop lights that strobe in your videos.
But I don't recommend "fixing" LED retro-fit ersatz mains fluoro tubes at all...
Then - the color rendition of run-of-the-mill LEDs are a completely different question as their spectrum varies wildly...

Caveat: The DC current can get quite high, so check for appropriate (short) cable length and area.
I've found some really flimsy hook-up wires in LED flood lights during my autopsies...
LEDs don't like over-voltage or high temperatures at all...

2 cents

Johan

PS: I use a discount 20W LED outdoor flood light as an indirect* "shop" ceiling bouncer for general, shadow-free illumination,
then a few IKEA Jansjö flexible goosenecks and a few LED strips for the shelves.
* Pointed UPWARDS into the white ceiling for "that soft, low-contrast light quality"

[marksbug]

I got a 90mm led lighted magnifier's off ebay for about $12. with ac adaptor.with all the leds' around the lens, it's bright.should do just fine when I get time to take the lens out and mount it to my millquill.

[NortonDommi]

Do you get a black spot when the quill is extended? I did when I tried a ring light. I found that lighting from both sides obviated this.

[editor@glue-it.com]

Do you get a black spot when the quill is extended? I did when I tried a ring light. I found that lighting from both sides obviated this.

The light moves with the quill and so doesn't block it. I've tried it with a short 3mm slot drill and it worked a dream, gets even better with longer bits.

The aluminium foil around the inside of the shade should reflect quite a lot of light and extend the size of the light - the light is very even on the table and on the drill bit